It has been another exciting year for the CFA Program. The candidate registration number has continued to grow at an extraordinary rate worldwide, and Australia is no exception. The number of candidates in Australia has grown 45% from 1744 to 2533 candidates. The most noticeable growth has been in the number of enrolments in the Level I curriculum. CFA Institute arranged two test centres to accommodate the increased numbers for the first time in history!
The CFA Sydney Society Candidate Education Committee’s mission is to facilitate local candidates in better preparing for their exams. In the past, we have offered CFA Review Courses for the Level I curriculum. This year, we added to that by successfully launching the Review Course for the Level II curriculum. For each level, the Review Course contains thirty-six hours of expert tuition over six Saturdays held at two week intervals from February to May, and is completed with a Practice Exam to help students put a finishing touch on their studies.
The feedback we have received from both students and the lecturers has been extremely positive. The students have enjoyed the benefits of studying in a group, the ability to complete extra questions for each Study Session, and the availability of the lecturers’ professional knowledge in assisting their queries. All of our lecturers are CFA charter holders with extensive technical knowledge and practical industry experience. Most of them have taught both the Level I and Level II curriculums. The Review Courses have and will continue to benefit candidates in their CFA studies. With the December 2008 Level I enrolments open, we have already received enquiries about the next Review Course. So watch this space for further information!
On Sunday 18 May, more than 130 candidates joined us at our CFA Practice Exam. This exam was prepared by Boston Security Analyst Society Inc, a CFAI accredited course preparer. The event was a success! It not only provided the candidates with additional questions to build on their knowledge but also highlighted areas of weakness they may need to focus on.
My advice to the candidates for the remaining 19 days of study:
- Do as many questions as you can get your hands on! That includes all questions after each session of your curriculum or Study Notes, past exam papers, practice exam papers…
- Don’t just do the questions once! Do them again and again - especially on the sessions that you are not feeling as confident in.
Now is the time to stop reading the wordy notes and start applying your knowledge in problem solving. Test yourself with questions until they become your friend, and trust me, you will see them again in the exam!
Shan Gao CFA
Candidate Education
